Batting record only Sachin could break

It took the little master and a future Indian Test batsman, Vinod Kambli, to scrub Whorouly and Buffalo River from the record books.

The story dates back a century to the Myrtleford Cricket Association grand final at the end of the 1913-14 season and a two-day, 641-run record breaking partnership between Tom Patton and Norman Rippon.

Rippon scored 316 while Patton (408) was the last wicket to fall with the score on 893.

Whorouly was dismissed for 158 and 55 to lose the final by an innings and 680 runs.

Now Myrtleford and District Historical Society president John Taylor is set to recreate that match with a Twenty20 clash at the original ground.

On Sunday week, two teams, including some of the descendants of the players, will take to Gapsted Oval.

“This game has been talked about for 100 years and so it seems fitting on its centenary celebrations to recreate the match as part of the Myrtleford festival,” he said.

“The clubs, Myrtleford (Buffalo River no longer exists) and Whorouly, are going to put in two sides.

“This game is folklore — no one knows how they amassed so many runs over the course of two days — it has become folklore in the Ovens Valley.

“The third wicket record set at Gapsted stood for 74 years until the highest all-time minor grade cricket stand of 664 was set in Mumbai in 1988 by schoolboys Sachin Tendulkar (326no) and Vinod Kambli (349no).”

Patton also shared the record for the highest individual A-Grade country cricket score with Keith Savage, who was playing for Griffith in the Riverina competition in 1950-51.

“Savage gave his wicket away on 408, lofting the ball to mid-wicket, to honour Tom Patton’s memory,” Taylor said.

“Savage is believed to have said ‘I thought it would be nicer to share that score with him, given that he gave his life for his country’.”

Patton died from septicemia at a hospital in Malta after losing half his leg on the beaches at Gallipoli.